1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus configured to be able to convey a sheet and an image forming apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lately, various technologies for improving productivity (a number of image forming sheets per unit time) of an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, and a multi-function printer have been proposed to meet user's demands on further improvement of the productivity. For instance, various image forming apparatuses improving the productivity by shortening a distance from a rear end of a preceding sheet to a front end of a succeeding sheet (referred to as a ‘distance between sheets’ hereinafter) have been proposed.
As an image forming apparatus improving such productivity, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-193019 proposes a device configured to rotate a shutter member and to position a plurality of protruding portions of the shutter member to a standby position where the protruding portion abuts against a front end of a sheet sequentially conveyed thereto. The image forming apparatus including such device is capable of shortening the distance between sheets because the shutter member is rotated and a time required for the protruding portion to be positioned to the standby position is shortened as compared to a reciprocating type shutter member configured to return a protruding portion to a standby position after when a sheet passes through.
However, in the case of the rotational shutter member described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-193019, the protruding portion correcting a skew of a next sheet stands by until when the sheet passes through in a state being in contact with a back surface of the sheet whose skew has been corrected. Therefore, in a case where the sheet whose skew has been corrected in the state in which a next protruding portion is in contact with the lower part of the sheet is jammed and if a user tries to pull out the jammed sheet in a rotational direction of the shutter, there is a possibility that the shutter rotates and a next standing-by protruding portion protrudes to the sheet conveying path. If the next protruding portion protrudes toward the sheet conveying path, there is a possibility of damaging the jammed sheet and of tearing the jammed sheet in taking out it. If the jammed sheet is torn, it becomes more difficult to unjam the sheet.